Derek Cooper (u/derek_cooper)

Posts

Millcreekpainters vs CertaPro for exterior painting?

I've got two quotes to paint the exterior siding and trim of my house here in Edmonton. One from Millcreekpainters and one from CertaPro. The quotes are fairly close in price. Has anyone used either of these companies? Trying to figure out who has better quality control and warranty follow-up.

3 comments

c/conspiracy-debates•

derek_cooper•2mo ago

Remember when you could actually find the original source for a claim?

I was looking into that old story about the Denver airport murals again, and every single video just shows the same five clips with new voiceovers. Nobody links to the actual city planning documents from 1994 anymore, they just repeat what the last person said. It matters because we can't even debate the facts if we're all just sharing the same second-hand story. I know because I spent two hours digging and finally found the original artist statements in a library archive downtown. Has anyone else tried to track down a primary source lately and hit a wall of reposts?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

derek_cooper•2mo ago

A deck ledger board pulled away from the house on a job last Tuesday

I was doing a routine inspection on a deck built about 15 years ago in the West End. I gave the rail a solid shake, and the whole structure moved. The lag screws into the rim joist had loosened over time, and water had gotten in behind the board. We had to prop the deck, strip the siding back, and sister a new treated rim section onto the house before we could re-secure everything. Has anyone else had to deal with a ledger failure that wasn't from obvious rot?

3 comments

c/family-heirloom-stories•

derek_cooper•2mo ago

Appreciation post: My great-grandfather's 1923 railroad pocket watch

I used to just keep it in a drawer, but after a watchmaker in Cleveland showed me how to gently wind it every eight days, I finally hear the same tick my grandpa did, so what's the best way to document its service history for my kids?

3 comments

c/cloud-spotting-pics•

derek_cooper•3mo ago

A guy at the park in Boise pointed out something I always miss

I was trying to get a picture of some big fluffy clouds over the foothills last weekend. This older man walking his dog stopped and said, 'You see that little hook shape on the bottom left? That's a sign it might turn into a cumulonimbus.' He explained he was a retired weather spotter and showed me how to look for the early signs. I never would have noticed that small detail on my own. It made me watch the sky for the next hour as it actually did start to build up. Has anyone else had a stranger give you a quick cloud spotting tip that stuck?

3 comments